My Flight for Heaven

SKU: BT.AMP-426-010

English-German-French-Dutch.

The Way to Heaven was commissioned by the Royal Air Force Music Services. 2015 was the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which took place between July and October 1940, when the courageous fighter pilots of the Royal Air Forcethwarted Hitler’s ambitions to launch an invasion on the UK.
The Way to Heaven opens with fluttering woodwind figures and brass fanfares, which build to a climax before a change of key introduces a short quotation for the Polish National Anthem - Mazurek Dbrowskiego. This fades and you can hear thesignal to scramble and the throaty sounds of the squadron’s Merlin engines bursting into life before they line up to take off. This leads to the main thematic material of the work, which depicts the heaven-bound flight of 303 Squadron as it climbs tointercept the incoming Messerschmitt 109s. A brief allusion to the Polish national anthem brings the piece to a triumphant close.

The Way to Heaven is geschreven in opdracht van de Britse Royal Air Force Music Services. In 2015 was het 75 jaar geleden dat de Slag om Engeland plaatsvond, tussen juli en oktober 1940, toen de moedige gevechtspiloten van de Royal Air Forcede ambities van Hitler om het Verenigd Koninkrijk tot capitulatie te dwingen wisten te dwarsbomen.
The Way to Heaven opent met ‘dwarrelende’ motieven in het hout en koperfanfares, die worden opgebouwd tot een climax voordat een modulatie een kort citaat van het Poolse volkslied Mazurek Dbrowskiego introduceert. Dit sterft weg endan horen we het alarmsignaal voor het opstijgen van de vliegtuigen, en het schorre geluid van de Merlin-motoren voordat de gevechtstoestellen de lucht in gaan. Dit leidt tot het belangrijkste thematische materiaal van het werk, dat de ‘vlucht naarde hemel’ van het 303 Squadron beschrijft tijdens de klim omhoog met als doel het onderscheppen van de Duitse Messerschmitts Bf 109. Een toespeling op het Poolse volkslied brengt het werk naar zijn triomfantelijke slot.

The Way to Heaven wurde von den Royal Air Force Music Services in Auftrag gegeben. 2015 jährte sich die Luftschlacht um England, die von Juli bis Oktober 1940 stattgefunden hat, zum 75. Mal. Die mutigen Jagdflieger der Royal Air Force hattenHitlers Ambitionen einer Invasion Englands verhindert.
The Way to Heaven beginnt mit einer unruhigen Figur in den Holzbläsern und mit Blechbläser-Fanfaren, die sich zu einem Höhepunkt aufbauen, bevor ein Tonartwechsel einen kurzen Verweis auf die polnische Nationalhymne Mazurek Dbrowskiego“ einleitet. Dies verklingt langsam und man hört das Signal zum Kampf und das Dröhnen der Merlin-Triebwerke der Staffeln, die vor dem Start zum Leben erwachen und sich aufstellen. Dies führt zum Hauptthema des Werkes, das den Flug in den Himmel vonStaffel 303 beschreibt, um die herankommenden Messerschmidt 109 abzufangen. Es klingt nochmals kurz die polnische Nationalhymne an, bevor das Stück mit einem triumphalen Schluss endet.

The Way to Heaven est une commande des services de musique de la Royal Air Force. 2015 a marqué le 75e anniversaire de la Bataille d’Angleterre qui eut lieu de juillet octobre 1940, et durant laquelle les courageux pilotes de chasse de laRoyal Air Force entravèrent les ambitions d’Hitler d’envahir le Royaume-Uni.
The Way to Heaven commence par des motifs tremblants pour bois et des fanfares de cuivres qui se développent vers une apogée ; ensuite une modulation introduit une courte citation de l’hymne national polonais, Mazurek Dbrowskiego. Alorsque ces idées s’affaiblissent, on entend le signal pour décoller en urgence, puis le son rauque des moteurs Merlin de l’escadron mis en marche, avant que les avions ne s’alignent pour décoller. Ceci mène au matériel thématique principal de l’œuvrequi dépeint le vol vers le ciel de l’escadron 303 alors qu’il monte pour intercepter les Messerschmitt 109 entrants. Une brève allusion l’hymne national polonais mène la fin triomphante de l’œuvre.

Way to Heaven (La strada per il Paradiso) è stata commissionato dai Servizi Musicali della Royal Air Force britannica. Nel 2015 è stato ricordato il 75° anniversario della Battaglia d'Inghilterra, che ebbe luogo tra luglio e ottobre del 1940, quando i coraggiosi piloti della RAF impedirono le ambizioni di Hitler, che voleva invadere il Regno Unito.

SKU: HL.44013334

The Way to Heaven was commissioned by the Royal Air Force Music Services. 2015 was the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, which took place between July and October 1940, when the courageous fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force thwarted Hitler's ambitions to launch an invasion on the UK. The Way to Heaven opens with fluttering woodwind figures and brass fanfares, which build to a climax before a change of key introduces a short quotation for the Polish National Anthem - Mazurek Dbrowskiego. This fades and you can hear the signal to scramble and the throaty sounds of the squadrons Merlin engines bursting into life before they line up to take off. This leads to the main thematic material of the work, which depicts the heaven-bound flight of 303 Squadron as it climbs to intercept the incoming Messerschmitt 109s. A brief allusion to the Polish national anthem brings the piece to a triumphant close.

SKU: PR.31241902S

UPC: 680160690589. English.

Commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Society and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, Terra Nostra is a 70-minute oratorio on the relationship between our planet and humankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. Part I: Creation of the World explores various creation myths from different cultures, culminating in a joyous celebration of the beauty of our planet. Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines human achievements, particularly since the dawn of our Industrial Age, and how these achievements have impacted the planet. Part III: Searching for Balance questions how to create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. In addition to the complete oratorio, stand-alone movements for mixed chorus, and for solo voice with piano, are also available separately.
Terra Nostra focuses on the relationship between our planet and mankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. The oratorio is divided into three parts:Part I: Creation of the World celebrates the birth and beauty of our planet. The oratorio begins with creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt that are integrated into the opening lines of Genesis from the Old Testament. The music surges forth from these creation stories into “God’s World” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which describes the world in exuberant and vivid detail. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On thine own child” praises Mother Earth for her role bringing forth all life, while Walt Whitman sings a love song to the planet in “Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth!” Part I ends with “A Blade of Grass” in which Whitman muses how our planet has been spinning in the heavens for a very long time.Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines the achievements of mankind, particularly since the dawn of the Industrial Age. Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall” sets an auspicious tone that mankind is on the verge of great discoveries. This is followed in short order by Charles Mackay’s “Railways 1846,” William Ernest Henley’s “A Song of Speed,” and John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s “High Flight,” each of which celebrates a new milestone in technological achievement. In “Binsey Poplars,” Gerard Manley Hopkins takes note of the effect that these advances are having on the planet, with trees being brought down and landscapes forever changed. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Dirge” concludes Part II with a warning that the planet is beginning to sound a grave alarm.Part III: Searching for Balance questions how we can create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. Three texts continue the earth’s plea that ended the previous section: Lord Byron’s “Darkness” speaks of a natural disaster (a volcano) that has blotted out the sun from humanity and the panic that ensues; contemporary poet Esther Iverem’s “Earth Screaming” gives voice to the modern issues of our changing climate; and William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” warns us that we are almost out of time to change our course. Contemporary/agrarian poet Wendell Berry’s “The Want of Peace” speaks to us at the climax of the oratorio, reminding us that we can find harmony with the planet if we choose to live more simply, and to recall that we ourselves came from the earth. Two Walt Whitman texts (“A Child said, What is the grass?” and “There was a child went forth every day”) echo Berry’s thoughts, reminding us that we are of the earth, as is everything that we see on our planet. The oratorio concludes with a reprise of Whitman’s “A Blade of Grass” from Part I, this time interspersed with an additional Whitman text that sublimely states, “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love…”My hope in writing this oratorio is to invite audience members to consider how we interact with our planet, and what we can each personally do to keep the planet going for future generations. We are the only stewards Earth has; what can we each do to leave her in better shape than we found her?

SKU: PR.31241902A

UPC: 680160690510. English.

Commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Society and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, Terra Nostra is a 70-minute oratorio on the relationship between our planet and humankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. Part I: Creation of the World explores various creation myths from different cultures, culminating in a joyous celebration of the beauty of our planet. Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines human achievements, particularly since the dawn of our Industrial Age, and how these achievements have impacted the planet. Part III: Searching for Balance questions how to create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. In addition to the complete oratorio, stand-alone movements for mixed chorus, and for solo voice with piano, are also available separately.
Terra Nostra focuses on the relationship between our planet and mankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. The oratorio is divided into three parts:Part I: Creation of the World celebrates the birth and beauty of our planet. The oratorio begins with creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt that are integrated into the opening lines of Genesis from the Old Testament. The music surges forth from these creation stories into “God’s World” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which describes the world in exuberant and vivid detail. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On thine own child” praises Mother Earth for her role bringing forth all life, while Walt Whitman sings a love song to the planet in “Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth!” Part I ends with “A Blade of Grass” in which Whitman muses how our planet has been spinning in the heavens for a very long time.Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines the achievements of mankind, particularly since the dawn of the Industrial Age. Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall” sets an auspicious tone that mankind is on the verge of great discoveries. This is followed in short order by Charles Mackay’s “Railways 1846,” William Ernest Henley’s “A Song of Speed,” and John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s “High Flight,” each of which celebrates a new milestone in technological achievement. In “Binsey Poplars,” Gerard Manley Hopkins takes note of the effect that these advances are having on the planet, with trees being brought down and landscapes forever changed. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Dirge” concludes Part II with a warning that the planet is beginning to sound a grave alarm.Part III: Searching for Balance questions how we can create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. Three texts continue the earth’s plea that ended the previous section: Lord Byron’s “Darkness” speaks of a natural disaster (a volcano) that has blotted out the sun from humanity and the panic that ensues; contemporary poet Esther Iverem’s “Earth Screaming” gives voice to the modern issues of our changing climate; and William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” warns us that we are almost out of time to change our course. Contemporary/agrarian poet Wendell Berry’s “The Want of Peace” speaks to us at the climax of the oratorio, reminding us that we can find harmony with the planet if we choose to live more simply, and to recall that we ourselves came from the earth. Two Walt Whitman texts (“A Child said, What is the grass?” and “There was a child went forth every day”) echo Berry’s thoughts, reminding us that we are of the earth, as is everything that we see on our planet. The oratorio concludes with a reprise of Whitman’s “A Blade of Grass” from Part I, this time interspersed with an additional Whitman text that sublimely states, “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love…”My hope in writing this oratorio is to invite audience members to consider how we interact with our planet, and what we can each personally do to keep the planet going for future generations. We are the only stewards Earth has; what can we each do to leave her in better shape than we found her?